For the latest episode of the mini-series Faces Behind the Races, presented by Race Roster, the Endurance Town USA podcast host Samantha Pruitt traveled to Moab, Utah, to sit down with the successful race director, endurance adventure athlete, professional coach, small business owner and wilderness survivor Danelle “Nellie” Ballengee. Their rich conversation touches on Nellie’s growing up, how she discovered her love of sports and outdoors, then finding herself directing races, surviving a near-death trail running accident and ultimately coming through it all with her return to racing, owning a restaurant business and building a family.

Included in her personal accomplishments, Danelle holds the female speed record for climbing all 54 of Colorado fourteeners in fourteen days, fourteen hours and forty-nine minutes. She won several hundred events in various endurance sports, including one of the most punishing iconic endurance adventure races in the world, Primal Quest, a 400-mile self-navigated team adventure race over water, mountains and dangerous desert terrain.

Danelle's life turned upside down when in December 2006, she went for a trail run, slipped and fell 60 feet, shattering her pelvis and breaking her back. She survived two nights and three days in sub-freezing temperatures with her dog Taz, who eventually led the Search and Rescue team to her remote location. Reflecting on the accident, Danelle says, “It slowed me down and forced me to really appreciate life, all I have and what I had accomplished in my athletic career. It made me really think hard about the bigger perspective of life.”

Since 2011, Danelle directs the Moab Trail Marathon. “I came up with this loop, which ironically, part of the loop was on the route where I fell. And I think a part of my motivation for including that course segment was to prove to myself that I didn't do anything stupid, it was truly just an accident.”

Danelle still competes in trail and adventure events, but her priority at this time is raising her two sons, Noah and Will, then giving back to the outdoor sports world she loves so much.

To hear more episodes from Faces Behind the Races mini-series of the Endurance Town USA podcast, including professional Race Directors and athletes Krissy Moehl, Doug Thurston, Ian Adamson, Maria Burton, Luis Escobar and Samantha Pruitt, download the Endurance Town USA podcast by visiting the website or by subscribing "Endurance Town USA" on your favorite podcast device.

About Endurance Town USA

Endurance Town USA is a state of mind, where listeners escape their daily grind and connect to their community of like-minded people, exploring their best selves through endurance sports. We dive deep into the story of WHY our guests use the common thread of endurance to weave their world. Through endurance sports, our storytellers are transforming their lives, the industry and the community at large.

Race SLO, the California Central Coast's endurance sport leader, in partnership with professional marketing and content creation company Rock Harbor Marketing, have launched the first of several endurance sports specific podcast mini-series. “Faces Behind the Races” mini-series, presented by Race Roster, is live now.

The podcast is hosted by Race SLO founder and CEO Samantha Pruitt, an ex-couch potato turned endurance coach, ultra runner, Ironman, adventure athlete and race director. The Endurance Town USA podcast offers listeners an escape from their daily grind while giving them an opportunity to connect with an endurance lifestyle community, learn about athlete-welcoming destinations and do a deeper dive towards exploring their best selves using endurance sports as a catalyst for growth.

“This new storytelling and content platform will take the flexing of our #1 brand value ‘Human Connection’ to a whole new level,“ said Ms. Pruitt. “Collaborating with industry leaders and influencers, we are now able to provide high quality content that will touch all demographics and allow us to use our shared passion to connect, educate and inspire others to embrace the endurance lifestyle. Endurance Town USA is not a place, it’s a powerful state of mind.”

Samantha Pruitt, Endurance Town USA Host & Co-Founder

The first 10-episode mini-series of Endurance Town USA’s podcast, presented by the leading endurance sport registration platform Race Roster, is titled “Faces Behind the Races” and focuses on professional Race Directors from all over the United States. Each up close and personal episode is built around a wide-ranging interview with a notable industry professional, highlighting how through endurance sports they transformed their life and impacted the industry and the endurance community at large. Interviewees at launch include World OCR President, three-time Guinness world record holder for endurance kayaking and the most successful adventure racer of all time Ian Adamson; ultra runner, professional sports photographer and founder of All We Do Is Run, Luis Escobar; retired professional expedition racer and CEO of North America's greatest expedition adventure race Primal Quest Maria Burton; runner and triathlete, as well as Executive Director of the Big Sur Marathon Foundation Doug Thurston; and the personal transformation journey of the Host, Samantha Pruitt. The next 10-pack mini-series titled “Faces of Endurance” focused on the athletes’ stories is set to be released in September 2018.

“Race Roster continues to double down on the endurance space,” said Brandon Laan, Race Roster’s VP of Sales. “Projects like this are easy to support when you trust the people behind them. Samantha’s enthusiasm for the sport and the community at large are infectious, and we believe that these stories need to be told. It is our hope that race directors can continue to learn from each other and that participants may have a greater appreciation for what it takes to host a spectacular event.”

Visit EnduranceTownUSA.com to download and listen to the podcast on your favorite device now, and to subscribe. Coming soon, the Endurance Town USA will feature endurance sports travel opportunities, training camps and video content for additional inspiration.

Established in 2012, RHM is a professional marketing and content creation agency specializing in digital advertising and marketing formats. Keeping its core mission of being a real human voice among a sea of digital noise, RHM manages social media platforms for organizations world-wide, designs and manages top-tier websites, provides content curation and copywriting for major events, and produces podcasts.

About Race Roster

Race Roster is a marketplace that helps runners register for running events and works with North America’s leading endurance events. As a trusted technology partner, Race Roster’s extensive industry knowledge and data insights help solve event challenges to achieve goals. We pride ourselves on supporting event organizers and their participants from start to finish. For more information, visit RaceRoster.com